Brazilian Series 2 Restoration

Nice little video of a restoration of a Brazilian 1966 Series 2 Lambretta. She looked pretty good in it’s original black livery, but two years of hard work and “stress, irritation and headache” (we’ve all been there!) transformed her into a thing of beauty. It’s and interesting game to spot the differences between the Brazilian S2’s and the Italian ones we are more used to seeing… the first, and most obvious one is the date of manufacture… 1966… five years after production finished on Innocenti machines. Other easy to spot ones are the carb/air filter set up, the exhaust (I quite like the look of that short silencer box!) and the three speed gear change… Cosmetically, the badges are very different, including an attractive rear frame embellisher/ badge. So far, so obvious… how many more differences can you spot?

A neat touch in adding rear indicators to the resto is integrating them with the spare wheel carrier, a nice solution.

Update: I have received an email from Jean, the restorer of this fine Series 2, clearing up a few things. Firstly, was the matter of colour… I stated that the original paint was black, and that was just a case of me being sloppy with my english. What I should have written, of course, is existing paint. Brazilian S2’s were only made in an “off white” shade – I’m guessing this would be something similar to the original Italian Ivory (Avoria) colour, but it may be different). The scooter has got four gears, it’s just the numeral 4 has worn off on the handlebar. The exhaust system is off of a later Lambretta, (one native to Brasil that deserves a post all of it’s own – The Cynthia), and has the fish tail on the silencer is a one off, custom item hand made by an iron worker.

Jealous much?

NYC Series 2Love this shot… nicely accessorised S2 getting a jealous look from a modern auto rider.

As an aside, apologies for A) the lack of updates last week… I was away for a bit… and B) the multiple IOW Lambretta days post…
Stay tuned for more updates next week.

Unusual Lambretta D for Sale

Screen shot 2013-05-24 at 16.40.28 Screen shot 2013-05-24 at 16.41.18 Screen shot 2013-05-24 at 16.41.01 Model DSaw this over at the Classic Cars For Sale website. Looks great in the colour scheme of dark blue and brown. Personally, I love seeing these older Lambrettas in non standard colours, purists may disagree. Although I’m no expert on these older machines, everything looks likes it’s there… even a few added extras (which if original, are probably worth a few bob). I particularly like the spare wheel trim with the extra rear light… something I can’t recall seeing before. The yellow number plate looks really out of place, but that’s easily sorted. At £1,750 it seems fairly priced to me too. See more here.

She usually starts first kick…

Dean Martin Lambretta KickstartWe’ve all been there. Your Lammie always starts first or second kick. Unless there is somebody nearby that you want to impress, or you’re selling it, and somebody has come for a test drive. Temperamental beasts, Lambrettas… they don’t like being taken for granted. Not even by Dino!

Just some J’s…

Screen shot 2013-05-22 at 11.20.49I’ve written about the J Range before, here, and here. This months Scootering magazine has a good article on buying a J too. I came across this article that gives an overview of these “Lambretta Smallframes”. Some nice images too, especially as it’s on a Vespa blog!Lambretta J Range Scooters j5a Lambretta_50a Lambretta StarstreamLambretta J Range scooter

Siambretta Model D Twin. That’s right. Twin cylinders!

Saimbrettas, as you probably know, are the Lambretta variants build under licence from Innocenti by SIAM Lambretta, in Argentina.

SIAM’s relationship with Innocenti dates back to 1954, and the Model C… affectionately known as the Pochoneta in Argentina. Apparently, even General Peron was a fan. A Model D equivalent soon followed, known as the “Siambretta 125 Standard” which was the equivalent of the Lambretta Model D… (with the 125 Deluxe being the equivalent of the LD). If you’re Argentinian, or a Siambretta aficionado, and I’ve got any of these facts wrong, please put me right in the comments.

So, history lesson over. What I never expected to see was a Model D Twin… I’m assuming, as my Argentinean Spanish is rather rusty, that it’s two 125cc cylinders, giving a total of 250c. In a D frame. That must go like a rocket! This is the maddest thing I’ve seen for ages.

I’d love to know more, and I’m trying to dig out more details, so hopefully this post will be updated as I find out more. But what a scooter!

Found via the Lambretta Club USA’s Facebook Page.

For a more modern take on Lambretta twins, see my previous post on the 344cc Twin from PM Tuning here.

Lambretta LI125 Video


My philosophy is that you just can’t see enough videos of Lambrettas. So here’s another one, of a LI, in nice two tone paintwork, riding through the beautiful English countryside. What’s not to like?

Cantabrian Ska


I’m loving this tune, and video by Cantabrian Reggae band Smooth Beans. (Cantabria, in case you’re Spanish geography is a little rusty, is the area around Santander in the North. I know it, slightly, from family camping holidays near Castro Urdiales, many years ago!). Any way, the Beans appear to have the Ska/Rocksteady / Skinhead Reggae sound down really well… a genre of music that particularly appeals to me. The video is pretty good too, featuring a nice Eibar Lambrettta (or should that be Serveta). I’m not an authority on these Spanish machines, so I’m not sure if the SX/Jet style headlight was ever fitted to a S2 type machine… but hey… the scooter looks pretty damn good, loving the sidecar too!

Smooth Beans on Liquidator Music.

Thanks to The Scooterist blog for the heads up on this.

What all this Ruckus?

Honda Zoomer-Ruckus-Pics htup_1006_24_o 2009_honda_ruckus headlihgt_shot htup_1006_29_o 2009_honda_ruckus front_view htup_1101_02_o 2004_honda_ruckus rear_right_side_view htup_1101_03_o 2004_honda_ruckus exhaust htup_1101_09_o 2004_honda_ruckus front_tire htup_2101_05_o 2004_honda_ruckus right_side_viewI’ve expressed my admiration for Honda’s Zoomer (or the Ruckus as it’s known stateside) before now…  I think, design wise, it stands head and shoulders above most of the modern scooters on the market. But what has it got to do with the Lambretta? Not a lot to be honest. There’s a kind of back-to-basics early Lambretta aesthetic (Models A-F) about it I suppose. And, from day one, there has been a bit of a scene upgrading and customising the Zoomer. That’s pretty much where it ends. But that’s enough of an excuse for me to post these pics from Honda Tuning Magazine.

I’ve got to admit, my knowledge of todays scoots isn’t that great. What else is out there, modern scooter wise, that deserves a mention? Let me know. If I like it, I’ll post it!

Scoot Sao Paulo: Lambretta & Vespa Carnaval 2013

I sometimes forget what a worldwide phenomenon scootering, and Lambretta’s are. Many nations have taken the Lambretta to their hearts, and that is obvious in the many Lambretta clubs that have sprung up all over the world (check out my links page), and even in the visits I get here to the blog.

Here’s a vid from Sao Paulo, Brasil, that makes the point. Of course, they actually made Lammies in Brasil, including some models (like the Xispa I posted out before) that were unique to them. But I didn’t know they all went backwards!